Everton were obviously concerned about the long-term prognosis and wanted to protect themselves against future problems.

Everton chief executive Robert Elstone told Sky Sports News: "(It's) very sad. We were very excited about the prospect of Leroy Fer coming to Goodison but the transfer didn't go smoothly in the end, there were issues.

"We have to put the club first. Our track record shows we do that pretty well. We thought long and hard about it and it didn't work out."